T. McGuire

TITLE:                       Analytic Astrological Assessment
OBJECTIVE:            To test the validity of astrology and horoscopes.
MATERIALS:          
Posted or projected birth sign dates.
(A. Below                   
One personality information sheet per student. (B. Below)
PROCEDURE:        See below.


 

A.     Post the birth date range for each of the 12 zodiacal signs: (The Phoenix newspaper uses the “tropical astrological zodiac dates.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac

This can be made more visual by using a graphic for each such as the image below from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_sign:

B.    Take the personality traits by birth sign on the following or a similar web page:
http://www.12astrologyzodiacsigns.com/zodiacsigns/charactertraitsofzodiacsigns.shtml
“Below you will find a personality traits chart listing the 12 sun signs and sun sign's personality traits.“

Put all 12 on a single sheet of paper to give to students. (Code, do not print, the birth signs as below #1, #2, etc.)

For example: (This one is Capricorn from the web site above)

Personality #1

Positive Traits-Practical and prudent
Ambitious and disciplined
Patient and careful
Humorous and reserved

Negative Traits-
Pessimistic and fatalistic
Miserly and grudging
Over-conventional and rigid

Personality #2
...

C.    Assign students to work in pairs. (I suggest letting them decide whom to pair with.)

D.   Pass out the 12 personality type papers. (See B. above.) Then ask each student to contemplate the 12 personality types and assign one for her/himself, and one for the partner.

E.    Reveal what sign (see the posted dates) each personality number represents. That is, show the key to the codes.

F.    The test:

1.      By show if hands, what number and percentage of the people picked the correct sign for themselves?  

2.      Ask students. “What would a chance/random score be?”     (Answer: roughly 10%, or more precisely 1/12=8.5%.)

3.      What percentage of people picked the correct sign for their partners?  (A chance/random score would again be about 10%, or more precisely 8.5%.)

4.      What portion of people picked the same sign as their partner for the partner? (That is, for how many students was the projected partner’s sign or personality the same as what the partner chose for her/himself?)

5.      Discuss this experiment. Was it scientific? Why or why not?

6.      Ask students to volunteer what they have learned or what they think of the value/truth horoscopes?

7.      Discuss how horoscopes (and these 12 personality types) are written: by whom and based on what? Who benefits from them? (The writer’s income, the reader’s entertainment, reflection and/or guidance, the newspaper’s sales.)

Procedure and copyright by Thomas McGuire, Cave Creek, AZ

cavecreekdigital@msn.com